The Church of Taiyo
The Church of Taiyo is a highly-organised faith, and is the recognized religion of Arroyito and those lands where they moved to, such as Yeto. Temples dedicated to Taiyo and the first prophet Deshi are found all across the land, ranging from simple, single room buildings in farming hamlets to the grand high temples of major cities. Beliefs The church believes only in the one true god, Taiyo, the creator of all. They are an all-powerful, all-knowing god who watches over the earth from heaven. When believers pass away, their souls are greeted by the messengers of God who bring them to heaven, where eternal peace and bliss will be their reward for a life of devotion. It is said that man was first told of God by Deshi, the first cleric, who spread the word of God, bringing miracles in the form of the first divine magic. His most devote followers were also blessed with the ability to channel divine magics, and so those today who can cast spells of a divine nature are considered blessed by Taiyo. The counterpoint of Taiyo is Yoru, the ruler of hell. He is the master of sin, evil and other undesirable traits. He collects the souls of sinners and takes them to hell, where they will be punished for eternity. Only revered by depraved individuals, Yoru is used to frighten people into a life of piety. The church promotes the virtues of charity and selflessness. Those who have devoted themselves to the church do not own property (though it is well-known that the church as an entity is a wealthy, powerful body), do not marry and are encouraged to help others to the extent of their abilities. The church believes that sex is an expression of God's love and desire for man to be happy, and as an extension of the previous tennants, most clergy members are, as a matter of policy and principle, freely available to assist with anyone's physical desires. The church operates nearly all halfway houses and orphanages in the country, and provides food, shelter and religious education to the needy, preparing the young and destitute for service in the army or church. The church, though it promotes a strong message of gender roles, is a relatively equalist body. Men and women are equally likely to be promoted through its ranks based on their merit. Organisation The bulk of those dedicated to the church are either priests, those who are affiliated with a particular temple where they live and serve, or monks, those who wander the land spreading the will of God. Male priests are called shisais, while females are called mikos; male monks are soryos, while females are nuns. Church administrators are promoted through the strength of their magical abilities, their services to the church and the will of their superiors; hefty donations also seem to have a tendency to make promotions manifest. The leaders of a local area's temples are shikyos; the head of the church in any one province is the sukikyo. Daisukikyos are the highest ranking clerics, who oversee church business across the whole region. The highest official of the church is the jushoku, who is generally speaking the most powerful cleric in the country at any given time. They are always a daisukikyo who has been voted to the position following the death of the former jushoku. The jushoku usually has substantial political clout as they have a significant following in the peasantry, possess a great deal of wealth and power at their disposal, and are not beholden to the emperor or king. Category:Organisation Category:Religion Category:Arroyito Category:Yeto